The public speaks out on proposed RV park for Big Pond

Big Pond resident Eddy MacIntyre had the full attention of a packed CBRM council chamber during his presentation at a public hearing into an application by a Calgary developer to have a 109-acre parcel of land rezoned to allow for the development of an RV park and campground. MacIntyre said the project would destroy the rural way of life his family has enjoyed in the area since the early 1800s. - David Jala

SYDNEY, N.S. — The public hearing into the proposed Big Pond Centre RV park and camp not only heard from more than two-dozen members of the public, it also received more than 30 written submissions.

Below are some selected comments from the presentations.

• “The Bras d’Or Lake needs protecting, and it can’t do it all by itself and long after we are gone it will still be here, so I implore the council to be on the right side of history to vote not on this rezoning.” – Delores MacLellan-Cameron, Big Pond resident

• “An RV park situated on both sides of a major highway may be a recipe for disaster!” – Helen Doherty, Big Pond Centre resident

• “Noise from so many RVs and the users of the park will be significant, much more than the current serenity, and much greater than the few loons that now frequent the pond.” – Betty Balmer and Leslie Hicks, Big Pond property owners

• “In recent weeks I have listened to comments in the CB Post which appear very one-sided — I question their concerns and their myopic thinking … If the CBRM blocks this proposal I’m confident the developer will move on to another more progressive community here in Nova Scotia. If this occurs, you can thank ourselves for not standing up when we needed to.” – Kevin Linden, Sydney

• “I can’t begin to express the emotional stress, frustration and fear of loss of the present lifestyle that I and other community members are feeling.” – Betty Bishop, Big Pond Centre resident

• “A development of such size and scope will undoubtedly result in substantial modifications to both the land and community of Big Pond, modifications that we believe, if not considered carefully, may have damaging and irreversible impacts on the land and water systems of the Big Pond area.” – Martha Justice Ministry of the Sisters of St. Martha, Antigonish (owners of Big Pond area property called “Kerana”)

• “Cape Breton was once known as the most toxic waste site in North America, please do not let this happen to our beloved Big Pond and the Bras d’Or Lakes.” – Mike Britten, Big Pond Centre resident

• “Why not situate this facility in the Open Hearth Park, on vacant land in Glace Bay, New Waterford, or the Northside, where it would be less disruptive to a small rural community and serve as an attractive and convenient regional base for RVing visitors to the industrial area?” – Gordon Sutherland

• “Big Pond is a small community with a long history of Gaelic and Highland traditions, and a development of the proposed scale may be overwhelming to the culture and local way of life. The resulting population growth will be more than tenfold, placing a considerable burden on the infrastructure and traffic patterns.” – John Gentles, descendant of Ruairidh Breac, pioneer settler who arrived in Big Pond in 1802

• “Big Pond, a community a quiet rural setting, home to multi-generations and newcomers who wish to enjoy what it has to offer is in danger of demise with zoning amendment #1037.” – Kelvin and Anne Digout, Big Pond Centre property owners

• “Is our tranquil paradise in the heart of the countryside to be taken from us? Noise, dust, fumes emanating from this very large, populated development does not correspond with what we dreamed would be our tranquil retirement retreat.” – Paula and Greg MacNeil, Big Pond Centre seasonal residents

• “I am confident that anyone who visits this site will immediately see the absurdity of the developer’s plans.” – Phillip Laundriault, Big Pond landowner

• “Why consider amending existing laws, presumably put in place for good reason, to line the pockets of a private company based in another province?” – Ann Marie MacNeil, Big Pond landowner with plans to retire in area

• “I know of no other development that has been given approval to fundamentally change the ecosystem of the lake – this pond is filled with eel grass and other stuff that might be good for the life of the fish and wildlife but is not good for swimming.” – Corinne MacNeil, Big Pond landowner presently building a cottage